Carding machine



April 28, 1942. 4c. E. WHITE CARDING MACHINE Filed NOV. 2, 1940 4sheets-sheet 1 m\\\,: e l N..

pril Z8, 1942.

c. E. WHITE 2,281,344

CARDING MACHINE Filed Nov. 2, 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 April 28, 1942ia EWHITE 2,281,344

CARDIN@ MACHINE Filed Nov. 2. 1940 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 C EWHITE CARDIN@ MACHINE Flled Nov 2, 1940 pril 28, 1942.

WneJJ Patente-d Apr. 28, '1942 UNITED STATE. ."gf

ATET FFIC CARDING MACHINE Charles E. White, Abington, Mass., assignor toApplication November 2, 1940, Serial No. 364,066 9 Claims. y (Cl.lil-109) necessary for an understanding of the present invention; Figs.2 and 3 are enlarged detail views of the timing and feed throw-outmechanisms; and Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views of the suction valve.

In Fig. 1 there is shown a carding machine having a doffer 6 and asuction stripper nozzle co-operating therewith. The nozzle is connectedthrough a flexible tube I0 and valve l2 with the main suction line i4which connects with the stripper nozzles of other similar machines. Themachine may be provided with a stripper nozzle for the main cylinder,also connected to the pipe lil. The nozzle is mounted on a head I6 whichis adapted to be manually moved from left to right to start thestripping operation, and automatically moved from right to left by meansof a traverse screw I8. The head is provided with a suitable follower 2Bfor engagement with the traverse screw. A throwout plate 22 is mountedon the machine to disengage the follower from the screw when the nozzlereaches the limit of its left-hand movement, all as generally describedin the Clark Patent 1,614,103, dated January 11, 1927.

To start the stripping operation the operator shifts the nozzle to theright-hand end of the machine. This operation automatically shuts offthe feed of material to the carding machine by mechanism to be laterdescribed. After shifting the stripper nozzle, the operator opens thevalve l2 to apply suction to the stripper. Thereupon the nozzle travelsleftwardunder the action of the traverse screw, with suction appliedthereto.

The valve, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, comprises an upper body portion 24and a lower portion 26 connected respectively with the suction line I4and the flexible tube I. A valve plate 28 is centrally pivoted on a bolt30 which connects the two body portions of the valve together. The

plate has a solid portion 32 to cut off the suc` tion and anotherportion 34 with a circular port adapted to permit communication betweenthe suction line and the tube. A portion of the edge of the plate isprovided with teeth 35 engaging a gear 38 mounted on a stud 40 to whichis connected a spring housing 152. A torsion spring 44 within thehousing normally acts to force the plate into the position shown in Fig.4 wherein the suction is cut off. The housing has a cylindrical flange46 about which is wound an operating cord A8. By drawing on the cord theoperator opens the valve at the time the stripping operation is tobegin.

The body portions 24 and 28 are enclosed and sealed by a clamping ringl. The feed throwout mechanism is shown particularly in Figs. 2 and 3.Near the right-hand end of the machine is mounted a sliding rod 5B whichis adapted to be engaged by the nozzle head I6 at the end of itsright-hand movement. The rod is normally in the position indicated bydot-and-dash lines in Fig. 2, and when engaged by the nozzle head ismoved outwardly through a bearing 52. When moved outwardly, the rod islatched by the tail of a latch arm 54 which drops into a notch 56 in therod.- The outer end of the rod is provided with rack teeth 53 engaging apinion 60 to which lis attached an arm 62. A weight 64 is connected withthe arm in order to hold the arm normally in a downward position andalso to force the rod 5B inwardly. A link 65 is pivoted at 66 on the arm52 and connects at its lower end with a shift lever 63, which isoperative to move an eccentric bearing l. Journaled in the eccentricbearing is a shaft 12 which under normal carding conditions is driventhrough bevel gears 14 and 16 from the doffer shaft 13. The shaft l2connects by suitable gearing, familiar to those skilled in the art, withthe feed mechanism by which material is fed to the machine during thenormal carding operation. When the nozzle is set at the right-hand sideof the machine, the lever 88 is therefore brought to its uprightposition (as indicated in full lines in Fig. 2) to rotate the eccentricbearing and disengage the gear TB from the gear lll. The feed is thusshut 01T, and remains off during the stripping operation.

Timing mechanism is provided, under the control of which the feed isrestored and the suction is cut off automatically after completion ofthe stripping operation. The timing mechanism comprises a ratchet Silwhich is advanced by a counterweighted pawl 82 operated by an eccentricdrive t4 tromthe traverse statt, whereby an outwardly extending arm 86adapted to strike a tail 88 on the latch arm 54. The arm 54 also has anupwardly extending projection 90 whichA is adapted to support the rearend of a pivoted lever 92.

tached to the cord 48. With the parts as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the wireloop 96, when` placed" over the hook 94, holds the valve open; Thev cordis extended in a loop as indicated at 98, to

be attached to a stationary part of the=machine. The loop 98 providessunicient4 slack` toh allow the valve to close when thek cord isreleasedy from the hook.

The ratchet 80 has a smooth portion I against which the paWl 82 mayreciprocate without-ad'- vancing the ratchet. This smooth portion isarranged to come opposite the ratchet at the time the tail 88 of thelatch lever 54 is engagedfbyl the operating arm 8S. It will be seen,therefore, that after the counting mechanism has counted off therequisite number of revolutions of the traverse shaft, the arm 86strikes the tail 88, thereby unlatching the rod 58 and also releasingthearm 92. The latter is pulled up by the tension of the spring 44 actingon the cord so that theloop 96 is released fromv the hook and thevalve-is: closed. Inward motion of ther rod E is then caused' bydroppingsof the weight Sii-acting through tire-'pinion 69 and rack 53.At the same time thel arm E5 drops and causes the lever G8 to turn-tothe dot-and-dash position of Fig. 2, thus swinging the eccentric bearingin a direction to re-engage the bevel gears '14, '16 andrestore thefeed;

The operation of the machineV will now be brieiiy reviewed. When thecylinder is to be stripped the operator shifts the nozzle to the right,pulls on the cord 48, hooks the loopover the hook 94, and depresses thehook 94 so'that it is latched in the positionv ofFig. 3 by the arm 90onv the latch arm 55. The movement of the-nozzle to the right has pushedthe rod 50 outwardly, in which position it is latched by the anni! andthe-feed has been cut offV by the disengagement of the bevel gearsthrough the operation of the eccentric bearing. At this time the pawl-B2i is riding idly on the smooth portion |50" of' the ratchet.Theoperator turnsthe ratchet counterclockwise until the pawl engageswith the rst tooth, whereuponthe ratchet starts its automatic advance.The stripper traverses the' cylinder'to the limit of its, left-handmovement; when it is automatically disengagedr from the traversescrew.The ratchet continues to operate for avpredetermined number ofrevolutions of the traverse shaft 4g sufficient to allow completestripping of the lefthandv end of the cylinder, whereupon the arm 86engages the tail 88 off the latch lever 54'. The suction'valve is then'automatically shutA and the feed is restored, as above described;so-thatf the machine then performs its normalicardingsfunction.

The automatic cut-olf of suction andre-connection of the feed at theconclusion of the-stripping operation are important for several reasons.

The lever 92 at its forward end basaV hook portion 94 to engage a wireloop 96- at- First, because the capacity of the vacuum system islimited, it is desirable to cut oi the suction from a stripped machineas soon as possible in order that stripping may be started on anothermachine. Second, since the stripping operation is non-productive, thefeed should be restored so that the carding function may be resumed asquickly as possible. Finally, the most important advantage lies in thefact that the operator is not required to return to the stripped machineuntil such time as it is necessary for him to perform the piercingoperation on newly carded material, and he may therefore plan hisoperations with respect to` all machines under his supervision in a sucha manner asto conserve labor and to maiutain maximum production.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

l. In a carding machine, pneumatic stripping mechanism including anozzle, means for applying suction to the nozzle, a suction valve,traverse mechanism for the nozzle, timing means operable upon eachrevolution. ofA the traverse mechanism, and connections between thetiming. means and the suction valve to close the latter after apredeterminednumberof revolutions of the traverse mechanism greater thanthe number required for traverse of'the nozzle.

2. In a carding machine, pneumatic stripping mechanism including a=nozzle, means for applying suction to'the nozzle, a suction valve;traverse mechanism for the nozzle, timing means including a pawloperated on each revolution of the traverse mechanism, a ratchetadvanced by the pawl, and means controlled by a predetermined advance ofthe ratchet after complete traverse of the nozzle i to close the valve-3. InA acarding machine, pneumatic stripping mechanism including anozzle, means" for applying suction to the nozzle, a suction valve,traverse mechanismfor the nozzle, timing means operable uponl eachrevolution of the traverse mechanism, connections between the timing.means andv the suction valve to close the latter after a predeterminednumber of revolutions of the traverse mechanism greater than the numberrequired for traverse of the nozzle, av feed drive adapted to bedisconnected at the beginning of the stripping operation, and meanscontrolledby thetiming means for re-connecting the feed drive.

4. In a carding machine, pneumatic stripping mechanism including a=nozzle, means for applying suction to the nozzle, a suction valve,traverse mechanism for the nozzle, timing'means including a pawloperated on each revolution ofY the traverse mechanism', a.V ratchetadvanced'V by the pawl, means controlled byl a predetermined advanceof'the ratchet after complete' traverse of the nozzle to close tlievalve, a feed* drive adapted tov be disconnected at the beginning ofthestripping operation, and means controlled by the ratchet forre-connectingthe feed drive.

52 Ina cardingmachine; pneumaticA stripping mechanism including anozzle, means for'applying suction to the nozzle, la suctionv valve,traverse mechanism for thenozzle, timingmeansdncluding a pawloperatedfby the traverse mechanism during and after tra-verse of thenozzle, a ratchet advanced by the pawl, latching means to hold thesuction valveV open, and means operated by the ratchet to trip thelatching means.

6. Ina carding machine, pneumatic stripping mechanism including anozzle, means forapplying suction to the-nozzle, a suction valve,traverse mechanismfor the nozzle, timing means-including a pawl operatedby the traverse mechanism during and after traverse of the nozzle, aratchet advanced by the pawl, a iiexible member to open the valve, alatch to which the exible member is connected to hold the valve openduring traverse of the nozzle and for a predetermined time thereafter,and means operated by the ratchet for tripping the latch to close thevalve.

7. In a carding machine, pneumatic stripping mechanism including anozzle, means for applying suction to the nozzle, a suction Valve,traverse mechanism for the nozzle, timing means, a feed drive and athrow-out mechanism therefor, means operated by setting of the nozzle atthe beginning of the stripping operation to actuate the throw-outmechanism to disconnect the feed drive, a valve-operating member, timingmeans operated by the traverse mechanism during traverse of the nozzleand for a predetermined time thereafter, and means controlled by thetiming means for actuating the valve-operating member and the throw-outmechanism to shut the valve and to re-connect the feed drive. 1

8. In a carding machine, pneumatic stripping mechanism including anozzle, means for applying suction to the nozzle, a suction valve,traverse mechanism for the nozzle, timing means including a pawloperated by the traverse mechanism during and after traverse of thenozzle, a ratchet advanced by the pawl, a cord for manual opening of thevalve, a latch having a hook to which the cord is connected to hold thevalve open, and timing means operated by the traverse mechanism during apredetermined number of revolutions of the traverse mechanism to tripthe latch and release the cord.

9. In a carding machine, pneumatic stripping mechanism including anozzle, means for applying suction to the nozzle, a suction Valve,traverse mechanism for the nozzle, timing means including a pawloperated by the traverse mechanism and a ratchet advanced by the pawl, arod engaged by the nozzle during setting thereof at the beginning of thestripping operation, feed throw-out mechanism operated by the rod, alatch to hold the rod, connections between the valve and the latch tohold the valve open, and means operated by the ratchet for tripping thelatch to release the rod, to shut the valve and to restore the feedthrow-out mechanism.

CHARLES E. WHITE.

